Dregan

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/05/15/wagner-boss-russian-troop-positions-ukraine/

Yevgeny Prigozhin reportedly made proposal to Ukrainian intelligence officers in exchange for withdrawal from Bakhmut

Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner mercenary group, told Ukrainian officers that Russian military was struggling with ammunition The leader of the Wagner mercenary group offered to reveal the location of Russian troops to Ukraine in exchange for a withdrawal of Kyiv's forces from the besieged city of Bakhmut, according to a purportedly leaked top-secret document.

Yevgeny Prigozhin approached Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate on a number of occasions with the proposal as it appeared his forces would fail to capture the Donetsk region town, the Washington Post reported.

Kyiv spurned the offer because its officials did not trust Prigozhin, a known ally of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, and thought his offer could have been disingenuous.

Details of the approach were revealed in an assessment from a major leak of classified US material via the Discord social media platform.

A heavy price The US intelligence highlighted several encounters between Prigozhin and Ukrainian intelligence officers, including meetings in Africa, where Wagner provides security for a number of governments.

The Wagner leader reportedly voiced concerns over the heavy price his mercenaries had paid spearheading Russia’s push to capture Bakhmut, the bloodiest and single-longest battle since the war broke out.

According to one document, Prigozhin told Ukrainian officers that the Russian military was struggling with ammunition supplies and urged Kyiv to hit Moscow’s forces harder.

He also advised Kyiv to launch an offensive towards the border of Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, while Russian troop morale was low.